Akshay Kumar's Khiladi report-card

After more than a decade, Akshay Kumar returns with a Khiladi film this Friday. So we go down memory lane, and rate the series so far that varies from some atrocious to few really amazing films.

1. KHILADI 420

Easily the weakest of the lot, this one is just-plain-bad. Starring Kumar in a double-role, this one suffers from lame direction and a low-budget feel that even makes Mahima and Antara’s skin-show look boring. And despite a genuinely kick-ass stunt that has Kumar standing on top of a plane, the rest of the movie has him lazily going through the motions, like any star would in such paycheck projects.

2. INTERNATIONAL KHILADI

This one falls in the so-bad-that-it’s-good category. Gulshan Grover’s Garden Garden one-liners, Kumar’s then-girlfriend Twinkle's pelvic-thrusts and an ensemble of actors indulging in a ham-scene-contest, could have all actually worked well as a package; if only everyone did not take themselves so seriously in the film.

3. SABSE BADA KHILADI

There is enough B-Movie fun to be had in this action-packed revenge saga that is peppered with ample doses of skin-show from Mamta Kulkarni. Some jaw-dropping stunts coupled with a plot that packs in several twists and turns, make this loud thriller a great home-video watch.

4. MR & MRS KHILADI

One of Akshay’s most-underrated comic acts, this reasonably-watchable David Dhawan comedy about a superstitious, lazy-lad who wants to get rich fast, is timepass fun. Apart from his cult Abe Bachche Ki Jaan Lega line, this move also shows early flashes of Kumar’s ability to play the shrewd yet out of luck smart-aleck…A character which he later perfected in Hera Pheri and the two dozen films that followed.

5. MAIN KHILADI TU ANARI

It is perhaps the closest Bollywood has ever come to getting the Wunza-Plot format right. Featuring Kumar and Saif in top form, as a strict inspector and a self-obsessed superstar respectively, MKTA nicely blends one’s slapstick humour with the other’s cool stunts. And then of-course there is Churake Dil Mera...

6. KHILADI

There used to be a time when Abbas-Mastan would pick substance over style. One of their finest scripts, this campus murder-mystery benefits from brilliant music, a focused narrative and a right balance of comedy and thrills. And at a time when everyone is screaming spoilers(courtesy:Talaash), Khiladi is one film that retains its shock-value, even if you already know the ending.

7. KHILADIYON KA KHILADI

A huge-hit of its times and one of the few successful action-flicks of the 90s; had it released today, this one would have comfortably sailed through the 100-crore-mark. A taut mix of desi-action and WWE wrestling, rolled into a love triangle and lost and found saga; all involving a powerful vamp - KKK continues to be a gripping watch even after several repeated viewings.